Chapter 3.1

Chapter 3 – The Former Demon King, Begins His Behind The Scenes Operations

The next morning.

After returning to the detached building, I took a quick nap and then headed out through the window of my room again.

A short time later, I returned to the mansion with the rabbit meat.

Going through the main gate of the mansion, it looked like I had just returned from a hunt.

But of course, the prey was hunted at night and I had the bats watch over it.

“What’re you doing there, Yuuki-dono!!”

The moment I walked through the gate, I heard someone call out to me.

Kachel Mieghem, dressed in a gray robe was looking at me.

That’s what I had expected.

“I see you’ve gone out. Can you tell this Kachel where you were and what you were doing?”

“Why’s that?”

“I’m in charge of Xellos-sama’s education. I am obligated to maintain an appropriate environment within the Baron’s household for him. If you have done anything wrong, I must report it to Baron-sama”

“……I was hunting”

I showed him the ‘Large Rabbit’ on my back.

“I went to check the trap that I had set up in the mountains behind the mansion and found out it had caught something, so I brought it back. I’m going to have my maid in the detached building to cook it”

“Why would you do that?”

“There’s not much meat to eat in the detached building. I thought I’d treat me and my maid with it”

“Oh, how selfish of you, illegitimate child!”

The tutor, Kachel, looked up at the sky and exclaimed.

“An illegitimate child is no better than a servant. If the servant managed to hunt down prey, it’s common sense to present them to Baron-sama, right!? But to use it to curry favor with the other servants…I can’t believe it!” 

“If you’ll excuse me, I need to deal with the meat now”

I ignored Kachel and started to walk away.

“Please wait, Yuuki-dono!!”

“What’s going on? I thought I heard Kachel-sensei’s voice…?” 

Father came from the courtyard.

Short blonde hair and a muscular body. He had a wooden training sword in his hand.

My Father, Baron Georg Grossalia.

“Ooh, if it isn’t Yuuki? Where have you been!?”

“I went hunting in the mountains”

“Please listen to me, Georg-sama. Yuuki-dono is planning to keep all the prey to himself”

Kachel interrupted me and told Father.

“This is Baron Grossalia’s household. If a servant has hunted prey, it’s natural to present them to Georg-sama, master of the household, but to keep them to oneself, this Kachel has nothing more to say!!”

“If Yuuki has hunted it, then the prey belongs to Yuuki, right?”

Father laid down his wooden sword and stroked my head with his big hand.

“Even so, two ‘Large Rabbits’, huh? Hmm, you’ve set traps, didn’t you?”

“Yes. Father”

“Isn’t that amazing! When I was a child, all I could do was swing a wooden sword! I’ve heard that ‘Large Rabbit’ are extremely wary, thus very difficult to catch. But…to have successfully hunted it down and what’s more, there’s even two of it, well…I must say, that’s quite a feat! You’re very talented, Yuuki!”

“Thank you very much. Father”

Father won his peerage due to his distinguished service in the war.

That’s why he never misses his morning practice.

I also like seeing him practice hard, him sweating all over his body as he continues to swing his wooden sword. |Editor’s Note: MC says no homo fast!|

In my previous life, I didn’t have anyone to call as my father.

“But don’t be reckless. There are powerful monsters in the mountains, too. If you are going there alone, you can only go to the foot of the mountains. If you get hurt, we’ll all be worried about you”

“That’s no good! Baron Georg-sama!!”

cried Kachel.

“How can you praise an illegitimate child’s selfish behavior instead of reprimanding it! Is that the right way to be a nobleman!?”

“Don’t be so stubborn, Kachel-sensei”

Father scratched his head as if he was troubled.

“My son was successful in his hunt. What’s wrong with praising him for that?”

“Baron-sama seems to have forgotten the terms and conditions for hiring me”

Kachel sneered and looked at both me and my father.

I know what this guy is going to say.

For three years now, Kachel has been using these words to silence anyone in the household.

“I’ll do my best to make sure that the legitimate son, Xellos-sama, becomes a trainee at the ‘Lindbel Magic Guild’. In return, Baron-sama would not object to my methods. Wasn’t that a condition for hiring me?”

“……I-I know. But……”

“The mage training institute of ‘Lindbel Magic Guild’ is a place where members of the royal families and high-ranking nobles also attend. Even though Xellos-sama is aiming to be in the ‘Lindbel Magic Guild’, what are you going to do if the Baron’s family can’t even abide by the discipline? A legitimate child always stands above the illegitimate child. Baron-sama does not need to speak to the illegitimate child more than necessary. I told you that’s the rule in aristocracy”

“I know…I know…, but Yuuki has a great talent!”

Again, Father stroked my hair though bitterly this time.

“Isn’t it a parent’s duty to nurture their children’s talents?”

“Very well. Then I’ll return to the royal capital. This Kachel has done everything in his power to get Xellos-sama into the ‘Magic Guild’, but it seems to be in vain”

“W-Wait a minute! This and that are a different story!”

“If you become a trainee in the ‘Lindbel Magic Guild’, you’ll often meet children from the high-ranking nobles. I thought the Baron’s family name would rise when those children and Xellos-sama get to know each other, but it’s a shame, really. If the head of the family, Baron Georg-sama, continues to be this way, at this rate……”

“…………” 

“This is for you, Father”

I held out the ‘Large Rabbit’ to Father.

“In return, will you listen to my request?”

“O-Oh. Do tell me!”

“I’d like to request permission to enter the library in the main building”

“The library?”

“Yes. As Kachel-sensei said, I lack understanding of the rules in this country and of my own standing in society. So, to not offend nii-sama and Kachel-sensei, I want to learn about the system and the history of this country”

“……Amazing. You’re thinking that far ahead, huh……”

I’m sorry, Father. This whole situation was all according to my plan.

I knew that if I brought back prey from a hunt, Kachel would surely complain about it.

That’s why I boldly entered through the main gate while carrying the ‘Large Rabbit’.

Tutor Kachel knows that Father trains with his sword in the courtyard every morning.

If I do anything right then and there, Kachel-sensei would make a fuss so that Father could hear him. 

This person has always been like this. After three years of doing the same thing over and over again, I’d at least remembered that pattern of his.

So I decided to take advantage of it and gain access to the library.

Why? You might ask. By going through the books in the library, I’ll be able to find out what has happened to the world since my death in my previous life.

“Again, as Kachel-sensei said, I need to know my own standing in society. For that reason, I want to make up for the knowledge which I lack. Please, Father, give me the right to read the books”

“Of course! It’s great that Yuuki want to do some self-study”

“…………”

“Yuuki said he wants to understand his standing. Is this against the rules of the aristocracy? Kachel-sensei”

“N-No. Not a problem at all!”

With that, the tutor Kachel went back to the mansion.

Father let out a small sigh.

“Forgive me, Yuuki”

“No, I don’t mind”

I understand that Father is trying to protect the Grossalia Family, and I can’t get in the way of that.

“Regarding the library, I’ll tell the butler, Neil, about it. So feel free to use it”

“Thank you very much, Father”

After doing a quick bow, I headed towards the main building.